TAMPA — Seminole emerged from a pitchers’ duel between Nick Nolan and Jesuit’s Spencer Trayner, the Warhawks toppling the nationally ranked Tigers 2-1 on a sacrifice fly in the 10th Saturday.
“It’s no coincidence that this game was scheduled for the end of the regular season,” Warhawks coach Jeff Pincus said. “This is what we will have to do to advance in districts and regionals. It was an excellent test.”
Though the Warhawks loaded the bases in the first inning, and the Tigers scored first in the second inning, both pitchers dug in. Trayner went 10 innings, surrendering five hits and five walks with seven strikeouts. Seminole starter Nolan went eight innings, giving up one run on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts. He turned the game over to fellow senior Tyler Craft, who struck out three in relief.
“I was going to (pull Nolan) an inning earlier, but I was afraid Nick might rip my head off,” Pincus said. “But that’s where he (Craft) lives (in relief); he’s unflappable.”
The Tigers got their run when junior Ricky Caldevilla singled with two outs and went to second on a wild pitch. Senior Daniel Portales (2-for-4) then hit a pitch back over the mound, the ball taking a high hop into centerfield and giving Caldevilla enough time to score.
The Warhawks got the run back in the sixth on senior catcher Michael Mann’s homer, which bounced on top of the wall and over.
“It was just adrenaline the whole time,” Mann said. “I wasn’t trying to do too much with it, just hit it for a single. That’s probably the most memorable moment of my high school career so far.”
In the 10th, Warhawks senior Alex McGathey legged out his second infield hit of the game leading off and then stole second. After Corey Baptist and Scott Withrow drew walks to load the bases with one out, sophomore Chris Berry flied deep to left to score McGathey from third.